


Close Enough

by Adira_Tyree



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Fallout Kink Meme, First Kiss, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 14:26:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3532715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adira_Tyree/pseuds/Adira_Tyree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because routine is comfortable, even when it's not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the kink meme, on the awesome fic bomb threat that happened [here](http://falloutkinkmeme.livejournal.com/5646.html?thread=13914638#t13914638). Have I ever mentioned how much I love the meme? It's great. <3

            Six watched as the sniper slowly cleaned his rifle, back pressed against a rock and his whole body slouched down so that his head was shielded by it; there was no doubting the man had seen war. The rifle laid across his lap, having already been stripped down and put back together. Still, he polished the outside of the long barrel with slow, smooth strokes. Maybe it was comforting, maybe it was just habit, Six didn’t know.

            Camping out under the stars was becoming a ritual for them. No tents to break down or set up meant they could spend more time walking in daylight and less worrying about setting up for the night. Along Legion territory, those could be life-saving moments – no matter how short they were.

            Still, Boone was a man on a mission and Six could respect that. They were both out after killers: Boone for the slavers that took his wife, and Six for the man who’d dropped him in a shallow grave. Fools, all of them, to leave dangerous men alive to hunt them.

            He didn’t talk much about Carla, and Six rarely brought the topic up himself. It was safer that way. When Boon wanted to talk about her, he did. The rest of the time she was unfriendly territory. Had been, for months now.

            Sometimes Six thought about trying to push him to move on with his life - it had been well over two years since she'd been taken, after all - but it seemed cruel to ask him to forget. But he didn't want to ask him to forget, just for him to remember to live for himself again.

_"If she really loved you the way you say she did, she would want you to be happy," he'd said once, both of them falling-down drunk at the Wrangler. "You know that, don't you?"_

            Boone hadn't said anything. Six wasn't even sure he'd heard over the raucous din of the crowded room.

            He hadn't brought her up again since.

            Six stared up at the stars above, resting his head on his hands. He heard Boone setting down the rifle, the clink of the barrel against the stone, but didn't bother to look up. Next Boone wouls stretch out on a bedroll next to him, they would watch the sky together for a while, eventually one of them would say something about sleep or their plans for the next day, and they would roll over and go to sleep.

            Only Boone wouldn't really sleep, unable to keep himself from watching for trouble, and Six would lie awake for hours plagued by the unending headache Benny had left him with. It happened the same way every night they were away together. It wasn't perfect, not even close - but they were comfortable with the routine, and that was close enough.

            So when Six felt the radiating heat of Boone's body beside him, a polite distance away as always, he wasn't at all surprised.

            "Should sleep. Gotta get back out on the road as soon as its light."

            Six almost laughed. "There's no one left to follow us. I gutted the ones you didn't shoot, remember?" Six was pretty sure Boone could only see in two colors: red and not-red. And anything walking around in red within view of his scope would soon be collecting dust in it.

            "Better safe..." Boone said, his voice trailing off.

            "What?" Six asked, trying not to sound too concerned. Boone was a man of few words, sure, but he usually at least finished his sentences. "What's on your mind?"

            "You," he said bluntly. "Can't believe you're actually going in there. That you won't let me go with you."

            Six rolled onto his side to face him. "You know I have to do it. I have to get this chip. I'm a courier. I can't just say 'sorry, your package got stolen, better luck next time' and go on like nothings happened."

            "You could at least let me go with you," Boone muttered. He crumpled his jacket into a lumpy pillow under his head as he spoke. "Doesn't feel right letting you go in alone."

            "I'll be quick," Six said, unable to hold back his laugh entirely. "Promise."

            "Better be. If you're not out by nightfall I'm coming in hot to get you." Boone pulled his beret down over his eyes with a decidedly grumpy yank.

            "Is that a threat?" Six asked, still trying to get his giggles under control.

            Boone let out a long, huffed breathe, his jaw set and eyes still turned to the sky, before rolling over to face the Courier. With rushed movements, he leaned over and pressed their lips together in a kiss that was over before it even started. He quickly dropped his head back down onto his makeshift pillow, eyes turned back to the stars. "It's a promise."

            Six bit into his lip lightly, poking at it with his tongue as he watched the sniper, intrigued. "Well now," he said, raising an eyebrow as he rolled onto his back as well. "Can't have that, can we? Then you might die with a higher Legion body count than me, and that just won't do."

            "As if you'll ever catch up."

            They both laughed, watching the sky and waiting for sleep that they knew wouldn't come. But they were comfortable, and that was close enough.


End file.
